[AGL] !Re: LBJ and Walter....

[Gerry]

Just researched the sale of KTBC to Lady Bird in "Means of Ascent" (Pages
85-105). The account differs considerably from Haley's version. The cost was
$22,500. No loan foreclosure involved. But considerable arm twisting at the
FCC by Johnson friends in high places including FDR's enforcer Tommy
Corcoran who intervened for the Johnsons. Also some political capital cashed
in by Lyndon to get the purchase option. At the time of the sale the station
was a daytime only operation with little transmitting power on a bad
frequency. Within a short time after the purchase the FCC approved a request
to change it to a 24 hour station on a desirable frequency and increased its
power by a factor of 5--resulting in increasing its value by a factor that
is incalculable. And Lady Bird did indeed run the operation (even swept and
mopped the offices right after the takeover)...with a little help from her
friends in high places and a professional radio station manager she hired.
And, yes, the previous owners claimed that the station was stolen from them,
"finessed" might be a better word.
G




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gerry" <mesmo at gilanet.com>
To: "survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s"
<austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net>
Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 10:23 AM
Subject: Re: [AGL] !Re: LBJ and Walter....



> Mike,

> There is a book called "A Texan Looks at Lyndon" by an old conservative

SOB

> named J. Evetts Haley (I think I remember). In the book he tells the story

> of how the Johnson family got the Austin radio station, the cornerstone of

> their empire.

>

> Lady Bird's father was wealthy. But after his first wife died he remarried

> and had another family. His first family was not high on the list in his

> will. Lady Bird went to him and asked for her inheritance at a time when

> they (Johnsons) needed cash to swing a deal for the station. They loaned

the

> owner of the station, who was broke and desperate at the time, some $30K

> (her inheritance), to get him by until the FCC approved the sale of the

> station (for around $100K) to a waiting buyer. Collateral on the loan was

> the station. But Lyndon had connections at the FCC and made sure that the

> sale never took place. Finally the owner went belly-up and they

foreclosed,

> taking the station. The FCC rapidly approved the takeover and they were in

> the radio business. Caro confirms much of this story but not all.  Haley

was

> such a hater that he might have exaggerated parts of the story.

>

> When TV was in its infancy they had another scam. The licenses were being

> awarded to radio stations in each market. Often there were several radio

> stations filing for the local license which had to be approved by the FCC.

> The Johnson gang would side with one of the stations in exchange for a

> partnership agreement. The FCC would award the license to the station that

> had taken in the Johnsons (Texas Broadcasting) as partners. And so it

went.

> I watched this happen in Waco where the license was awarded to a

relatively

> new station over the old established station. They ended up with a piece

of

> many stations in areas that grew into large markets.

>

> Don't know how they got the FCC connection but they certainly parlayed it

> into a fortune. They had a similar connection with the Navy which led to

> contracts for Brown and Root (Lyndon's campaign financers for many years)

> like the Corpus Christi naval base. Brown and Root's initial fortune was

> made constructing federal dams on Texas rivers, deals which he helped them

> attain. Some say that the Viet Nam war was ramped up to obtain major

> construction contracts for B&R, like Cam Ranh Bay (a billion dollar deal).

>

> But, you know, Lyndon had a coterie of loyal supporters who would have

died

> for him, gladly, had nothing to do with money. I met some of them in

Austin.

> He could do no wrong in their eyes. He did bring electricity to the Hill

> Country in the 1940's, and all kinds of incentives for depression era

> farmers which saved their asses (while he was Kleberg's secretary). But

his

> reward for these acts was power, he knew how to accumulate it and

ultimately

> when to cash it in.

> G

>

>

>

>

> ----- Original Message ----- 

> From: "Michael Eisenstadt" <mike.eisenstadt at gmail.com>

> To: "survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s"

> <austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net>

> Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 8:12 AM

> Subject: Re: [AGL] !Re: LBJ and Walter....

>

>

> > Thanks Gerry for reminding us of the real LBJ.

> >

> > Vietnam, of course. But he did force through

> > congress the Civil Rights bill by squeezing balls.

> >

> > "ah doant trust a man without i got his pecker

> > in my pocket."

> >

> > Brown & Root battened on the infrastructure

> > building in veet nahm just like in Iraq. samo-samo.

> >

> > Henry Holman who knew everything about Austin

> > told me of the family's Austin doings. Ladybird

> > nailed down the CBS TV station franchise.

> >

> > a friend of mine used to have her accountancy

> > office in the Norwood Towers owned by Ladybird.

> > this is the white building with the wedding cake

> > top on 7th street. according to her they rent

> > gouge unmercifully.

> >

> > these are horrible people. Eat the rich!

> >

> > ----- Original Message -----

> > From: "Gerry" <mesmo at gilanet.com>

> > To: "survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s"

> > <austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net>

> > Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 10:32 AM

> > Subject: [AGL] !Re: LBJ and Walter....

> >

> >

> > > Kathy,

> > > You said: And compared to Bush and

> > > cronies he seems extremely wholesome, straight forward and honest.

> > > Like a Jimmy Stewart movie.

> > >

> > > LBJ was a vulgar monster who left many a disillusioned victim in his

> wake,

> > > and quite a few corpses as well. Jimmy Stewart? Come on! He was a

superb

> > > politician who knew which asses to kiss and which to kick. He was the

> > > champion of big oil and big construction. Haliburton is typical of the

> > type

> > > of company he helped to create. Good for Texas? Yeah, if you are in

the

> > oil

> > > business. While it is true that some of his policies paid off for the

> > poor,

> > > the trade-off was not without consequences. He had no ideological

base,

> > > posing as a liberal when it was convenient and as a racist when he

> needed

> > > southern support. He and his cronies stole the first radio station

(now

> > > called KLBJ) and used political power to steal quite a few of the

early

> TV

> > > stations in Texas (by strong-arming the competition).

> > >

> > > I suggest you read some of the many books about him before praising

him.

> > > "The Path to Power" by Robert A. Caro is an excellent Texas history

> which

> > > should be required reading in Texas schools. "Means of Ascent"

portrays

> > his

> > > early senatorial contests. "Master of the Senate" takes us up to his

> > > presidency. Read these books and then make your judgment.

> > >

> > > While it is difficult to damn him completely due to some of the good

> works

> > > he accomplished, praising him unconditionally is quite naive. He was a

> > power

> > > mad monster who ended up as a self-loathing, broken man who committed

> > > gradual suicide after his retirement (and loss of power).

> > >

> > > While her legacy now seems to outstrip his, he treated Lady Bird like

a

> > dog,

> > > often embarrassing her publicly and without apparent remorse. The

> > remarkable

> > > thing is that she put up with it.

> > >

> > > Compared to Bush? No contest, LBJ was highly intelligent and ran his

own

> > > ship, down to the tiniest details. He was a poor boy who became

wealthy

> > and

> > > schemed his way to success. As a politician Bush couldn't shine his

> shoes.

> > > Let us not forget that Cheney is the real power in the Bush white

house.

> > You

> > > might compare him to LBJ but not W.

> > > G

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > ----- Original Message -----

> > > From: "Kathy" <kdoyle1 at austin.rr.com>

> > > To: "survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s"

> > > <austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net>

> > > Cc: <ghetto2 at two.pairlist.net>

> > > Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 12:57 AM

> > > Subject: [AGL] LBJ and Walter....

> > >

> > >

> > > > Hmm, now a story I heard, from people now dead, is that LBJ had an

> > > > illegitimate son, Rodney, by his secretary (?) and he sent him to

> > > > live with a  rich gay pedophile friend? relative? living off

> > > > Enfield.  I did know Rodney.  He was one of the early aids victims.

> > > > And he did look a lot like LBJ, but he moved and talked a little

> > > > swishy, or sort of valley girl.  Try and picture that. Anyway, what

> > > > if LBJ  had a hunger for men as well as women and he and Walter

> > > > actually had a "Brokeback Mountain" kind of relationship- that would

> > > > explain why he had to cut Walter off so abruptly  and coldly when

the

> > > > scandal broke and also how he came to be so close to Rodneys's

> > > > guardian or whatever he was. Well, it seems far fetched-what a can

of

> > > > worms if it were true- but the pre dawn hours are good for  wild

> > > > tales of love, lust and betrayal.

> > > >

> > > > no matter, I did greatly respect Lady Bird, and am so grateful for

> > > > her development of town lake and her wild flowers. By promoting

> > > > beauty and healthy environments and saving and propagating plants,

in

> > > > her own way she was giving peace a chance, and her beautiful legacy

> > > > endures . I also am grateful to LBH for the good that he did Texas

> > > > and the nation, despite the damn war. And compared to Bush and

> > > > cronies he seems extremely wholesome, straight forward and honest.

> > > > Like a Jimmy Stewart movie.

> > > >

> > > >   Do you think Laura will try to replant any of the orchards and

> > > > fields her husband and his cronies have blown up and poisoned?

> > > >

> > > > here's an intriguing link about Walter Jenkins, bless his heart. If

> > > > he had 6 children, he would be bi sexual not  homosexual right? Why

> > > > did his daughter have a different last name, was that her married

> name?

> > > >

> > > > http://home.nyc.rr.com/alweisel/outwalterjenkins.htm

> > > >

> > > > Kathy

> > > >

> > > > On Jul 16, 2007, at 9:53 PM, Fontaine Maverick wrote:

> > > >

> > > > > I haven't read it. Got a copy of "The Politician" by Ronnie

Dugger,

> > > > > which I tried to read over twenty years ago. Maybe I should dust

it

> > > > > off until I can get my hands on the Caro book.

> > > > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gerry" <mesmo at gilanet.com>

> > > > > To: "survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s"

> > > > > <austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net>

> > > > > Sent: Monday, July 16, 2007 10:37 PM

> > > > > Subject: Re: [AGL] one reason I admired Lady Bird

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > >> The Robert Caro books give a detailed account of Walter's fall

> > > > >> from grace.

> > > > >> He was LBJ's slave, killing himself to serve the master. LBJ rode

> > > > >> him hard

> > > > >> from the time they were in college and then spit him out with no

> > > > >> apparent

> > > > >> remorse. Also good accounts of Lady Bird and her progression from

> > > > >> being too

> > > > >> shy to attend her high school graduation and receive the

> > > > >> valedictorian

> > > > >> award, to a player on the world stage. At some point she stopped

> > > > >> cooperating

> > > > >> with Caro on the biographies, he broke her trust and never got

> > > > >> another word

> > > > >> from her. I guess it's time to dust off those old volumes and

> > > > >> peruse them

> > > > >> for a spell. Man, those girls (Lynda and Lucy) really turned out

> > > > >> the kids,

> > > > >> huh? You would need a Greyhound to haul the extended family

around.

> > > > >> G

> > > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > >

> >

> >

>

>